The KITE Research Institute

06/03/2026

KITE Studio is celebrating its third anniversary this spring, supporting researchers, departments, and organizations across University Health Network (UHN) and more. At the same time, the team has reached another major milestone: the launch of their new website!

Dr. Milos R. Popovic, Director of KITE, praised the Studio’s work. “I’m so happy to celebrate KITE Studio’s third anniversary and everything the team has accomplished so far,” he said. “They’ve played such an important role in helping share the research happening here at KITE and UHN with a much wider audience.”

Check out the website here: https://www.kite-studio.ca

05/28/2026

Special thanks to Crystal MacKay, a health services researcher in physical therapy, for taking the time to address the significance of physical activity for people who have had lower limb amputations (LLA) at the Research Rounds: Promoting Physical Activity in People with Lower Limb Amputations seminar.

MacKay is an Affiliate Scientist at UHN's KITE Research Institute, and Assistant Professor in the School of Rehabilitation Therapy at Queen’s University.

One of the topics discussed in the seminar was MacKay's work co-creating the first evidence-based exercise and activity guidelines for adults with LLA. The guidelines suggest that 60 minutes per week of both moderate and vigorous aerobic, strength, and balance exercises can substantially improve balance and mobility.

To learn more, see the full video available on YouTube.

Lower limb amputation (LLA) is a leading cause of disability worldw...

05/20/2026

We’re proud to share that UHN's KITE Research Institute has been named to the Forbes Accessibility 200 list. This is the second year in a row that Forbes has recognized KITE as one of the world’s leading organizations advancing accessibility.

We’re honoured to be included alongside industry giants like Apple, Nike, and Google, and thrilled to see so many other important Canadian organizations featured on the list, including Access to Success Organization, AccessNow, ImaginAble Solutions and Axtion Independence Mobility Inc.

“We’re incredibly proud to be named to the Forbes Accessibility list for the second year in a row,” says Dr. Milos R. Popovic, director of the KITE Research Institute. “Our work is driven by a simple goal: to use science to create solutions that genuinely improve people’s lives. It is so meaningful to see our impact recognized on a global stage.”

This recognition is even more motivation for us to improve the lives of people with disabilities and accessibility for all Canadians.

Read more: https://www.kite-uhn.com/news/kite-research-forbes-accessibility-200 .tab=0

05/13/2026

Did you know there are four types of sleep apnea?

Azadeh Yadollahi, a senior scientist at UHN's KITE Research Institute, shared the latest scientific thinking - and upcoming alternatives to uncomfortable CPAP machines - in a piece in the Toronto Star.

More than 70% of people with sleep apnea have airway collapsibility, but others have poor airway muscle responsiveness, high loop gain (where breathing is overly sensitive to changes in oxygen and carbon dioxide levels), and a low arousal threshold (where people wake up unnecessarily after small breathing difficulties).

Learn more and read the full piece, "Sleep apnea diagnosis? You’ll likely get an ‘awkward’ CPAP machine. But better treatments are coming" here

CPAP machines are the “gold standard” for sleep apnea care. But not everyone can tolerate the devices. Here’s what can work instead.

05/11/2026

Congratulations to the KITE trainees who recently won awards for their achievements in research, knowledge mobilization, and leadership at our SOAR (Showcasing Outstanding Achievements in Research) conference!

The KITE Trainee Research Impact and Knowledge Mobilization Awards were presented to Melissa Biscardi, a graduate student at KITE, for her work on concussion rehabilitation, and to Elyse Comeau for her work on accessibility in school transportation and taxi services.

The KITE Trainee Leadership & Community Impact Awards were awarded to Lianna Montanari, MSc, who is vice-president of Communications for KITE’s Trainee Executive Committee and helped organize SOAR, and Damian M. Manzone, who hosts the Jousse Lecture series at KITE, has co-led Ontario Graduate Scholarship application writing workshops, and is a peer-to-peer mentor at KITE.

Three awards were also given for SOAR-specific performances: Jordan Fairlie won the best poster award, Tasnia Nabil won the award for the best three-minute talk, and Davood Dadkhah won the award for the best seven-minute talk.

05/04/2026

Congratulations to Azadeh Yadollahi, Senior Scientist at KITE and leader of our SleepdB lab, for being featured in the New York Times today in an article about how your sleep position may be affecting your health.

Read more at https://lnkd.in/eUQhbAPc.

05/01/2026

KITE Staff Scientist Bruce Haycock shared insights about LED lights with CBC earlier this week. "They're great for the driver sitting behind the light - the shift towards LED and other lighting technology is to allow for better illumination of the road ahead, which is obviously an important consideration for road safety... Unfortunately, it comes with a bit of a downside, which is that the more light you're throwing ahead of you, the higher the likelihood that you're going to blind other road users," he said.

Glare from headlights is more of a problem for older drivers than for younger ones, he says, and it can cause anything from brief discomfort to areas of blindness that can persist for seconds to minutes. It also affects people driving in darker urban areas more than those in bright city settings.

Hear the whole interview at https://lnkd.in/ex_S2E_n

04/30/2026

KITE Creates and FIBRE recently presented "Aging, Thermoregulation, and Everyday Clothing" at the KITE Innovations Gallery, a project led by Dr. Saiful Hoque, Ph.D. Hoque and Dr. Azadeh Yadollahi.

The event bridged the gap between Aging, sleep science, Thermoregulation and textile engineering, highlighting how body temperature regulation is a critical, yet often overlooked, a pillar of brain and heart health as we age.

A special thank you to Dr. Allison Sekuler and the team at Baycrest for their partnership.

04/28/2026

Recent research highlights the important role of weight-lifting in healthy aging, particularly for older women.

KITE Scientist and Exercise Physiologist, Dr. Susan Marzolini, recently joined CBC news to discuss the benefits of weight-lifting for older women. Dr. Marzolini notes that resistance training is not just about fitness, it’s about preserving the ability to move well, stay strong, and live independently with age.

Watch the story and learn more here: https://lnkd.in/eWYQ6pg2

03/17/2026

Join us on March 24th for an inspiring in-person event at KITE's Innovations Gallery!

Presented by the Fabric Based Research Platform (FIBRE), the EMBS Toronto Chapter, and KITE Creates, this gathering brings together an exciting blend of science, technology, design, and healthcare innovation.

We are thrilled to welcome Professor Kai Yang and Gillian Lake-Thompson from the Wi******er School of Art’s E‑Textiles in Healthcare Innovation Lab (University of Southampton, UK). They will share insights into their groundbreaking lab, current research, and emerging opportunities at the intersection of fashion, textiles, and health technologies.

This informal talk and open discussion is a fantastic opportunity for our community—scientists, healthcare professionals, textile innovators, and fashion creatives—to meet, exchange ideas, and spark new collaborations.
Come connect, be inspired, and explore what’s possible when disciplines weave together.

Learn more and register here: https://hubs.li/Q0471RtW0